As you enter this mission note the additional health display which shows the health status of the three Forever Trees. The trees are located at the points 1, 2 and 3 on the map. There are four Tree Singers grouped around each tree - each singer contributes for one quarter of the tree's health. As the singers take damage the tree will also take damage. If a singer dies the tree is permanently damaged by a quarter; however seeing the bar go down by a quarter does not mean a Tree Singer has died - several could merely be injured, making it look as if one has died. If all four singers of one tree are dead the tree will be also. Only one Tree Singer/tree needs to survive the mission to complete it.

Baron Mirek Vasburg, Danika, and Mhenlo are present as stationary allies. Danika and Mhenlo will heal the party, but you will have no control over them whatsoever and they cannot be resurrected. Their death does not result in a failure of the mission. Danika spawns at the beginning of the mission and is stationed in the middle of the grove. Mhenlo spawns after the intermediate cinematic and is stationed at the north gate.

Three Juggernauts are available to assist you after the first Siege Turtle is killed, and they can be ordered to follow you or defend a spot (talking to them once will set them to follow you, talking to them again will make them defend where they are). While close to a Juggernaut, you will benefit from the Aura of the Juggernaut (which boosts your energy regeneration).

The hill has only two entrances through which opponents can get to the Tree Singers, and is covered by the Aura of the Grove environmental effect, which provides a speed boost while in the area. A good tactic for the first part is for the party to split up into two balanced groups of 4 players (or heroes, if available; note that this split team tactic is very difficult with henchmen), one guarding each gate. Most of the foes in the mission will approach the hill but it is sometimes advantageous or necessary to leave it and engage them outside.

During the second stage of the mission you will be joined by a handful of Luxons plus any that were left alive from the first stage.

Protecting the Tree Singers while taking out the Siege Turtles is the goal for this stage.

Luxons will attack from all sides, coming down the paths from the north, west and south. Take care not to let any Luxon Elementalists or Luxon Warriors slip through to the Tree Singers, as they can kill the Tree Singers quickly. Luxon Rangers are a comparatively minor threat. At six timed points during this stage, a Siege Turtle will approach from a side path, its arrival announced by Baron Mirek Vasburg. The order of arrival is west, south, north, south, north and west. They will start firing at the Tree Singers if they reach the small hills, marked with X on the map, but the Tree Singers can survive a minimal bombardment and the turtles will soon redirect their fire on a Kurzick team attacking them. Don't let the Luxon Rangers distract you from protecting the Grove - the turtles are the primary threat. Killing the rangers and the two turtles to the west will trigger the cinematic and arrival of the Afflicted. You can optionally leave the rangers and turtles alive to the north and south, as they become additional allies during the Afflicted attack.

If you run a split defense, position your teams at the base of the stairs, to intercept the Luxons as early as possible and minimize travel to the Siege Turtles when they arrive. Otherwise stay in the central area to avoid lengthy runs between Luxon siege positions and only go out of the fort for quick hit-and-run attacks on the turtles.

Grab the Juggernauts as soon as they become available and set them to follow you. With a split defense it is recommended to use two for the south team, one for the north. With them set to follow they will automatically return to you if killed.

After you have beaten the Luxons, you will be attacked by waves of the more dangerous Afflicted. The Afflicted have no siege attack so you can stay inside the grove. The good news is that the Afflicted will focus more on you and your allies than the Tree Singers, meaning it's easier to simply keep your party together and move between the gates. Splitting your group (especially if you're the only player) is still possible but much more dangerous. The afflicted come in large groups and can very easily overwhelm a group of 3-4 heroes, after which they're free to flank the remaining party members or down the Tree Singers.

If you still want to split your team: the south gate is generally a bit tougher than the north, so if you have a disparity in the two teams, send the better one to the south. (Watch out in particular for the Afflicted Monk's Ray of Judgment, and the Afflicted Elementalist's Mind Burn.) Position your teams well inside the gates, behind the NPC defenders, closer to the NPC healers and the other team. Don't go through the gates unless mopping up. Poor positioning at this stage can lead to mission failure.

The Afflicted will always attack both gates simultaneously, but the strength of the waves varies. The first couple of waves are tougher on the southern gate, while the last few are tougher on the north gate. With the second wave, the southern gate will be attacked by the Afflicted Maaka. If you run a split team, the northern gate will usually be clear quickly, while the southern team may struggle to stay alive. In that case, the northern team should hurry to assist them. In the final wave two warriors will attempt to sneak in the southern door while the north is attacked by the Afflicted Xenxo and Senku, so make sure they are killed first before converging on the two bosses.

Bug.As the first wave of Luxon approach from the west, the party can intercept these enemies as a large group. Killing the Siege Turtle before it has reached its destination may prevent the mission from continuing onto the Afflicted stage, however.

Bug.Sometimes Siege Turtles or Luxon Rangers on one of the small hills may remain hostile after the intermediate cinematic. The Afflicted will still attack them and vice-versa.